


Of Courtin' Permissions

by m7storyteller



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-14
Updated: 2013-10-14
Packaged: 2017-12-29 09:00:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1003508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/m7storyteller/pseuds/m7storyteller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by two prompts at the twd-kinkmeme, that turned into well, this.  Post-Season 3, Pre-Season 4.  Part 1, Beth talks to Carol about Daryl.  Part 2, Daryl and Hershel...talk.  Part 3, Daryl and Beth talk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Courtin' Permissions

_**Part 1:** **Of Asking Her of Him (Carol and Beth)**_  
  
Beth was a woman on a mission as she left Judith in Sasha's care, before going in search of Carol. With a nod toward Rick and Tyreese, she entered the kitchen area where Carol was cleaning up from dinner, "Need some help?"  
  
"I'll wash, you dry?", Carol asked, as she loaded the sink.  
  
Beth nodded her head, moving to stand beside her at the sink. They worked in a comfortable silence, before Carol spoke, "What's on your mind?"  
  
"What?", Beth almost dropped the plate she was holding.  
  
Carol shrugged her shoulders, "Seems like you might have something on your mind.", she nudged her with an elbow, "Want to talk about it?"  
  
Beth opened her mouth, only to close it when she couldn't figure out exactly how she wanted to word it. The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass herself or Carol when she asked the question that had been pressing on her mind lately. Shaking her head, she reached for another plate off the stack to dry.  
  
Carol watched her as she focused on the plates that were in front of her, "I've come to learn that sometimes, it's easier to just spit it out then let it eat at you. But that's easier said than done, isn't it?"  
  
"You could say that again.", Beth agreed, setting the plate down, "All right, so you can tell me it's none of my business, because it's not, not really. It isn't any of my business if you and Daryl are together or not. I just didn't want to be stepping out of bounds if you were, because that's the last thing I want to do."  
  
The words tumbled quickly out of Beth's mouth, but luckily Carol understood the language that was teenage girl, "Is that your way of asking me if there's anything going on between Daryl and I?"  
  
Beth began to shake her head, only to nod, "Yeah, I guess I could have gone about it in a better way, couldn't have I?"  
  
"How long?", Carol asked, smiling at the look that appeared on Beth's face, "How long have you been having feelings for him?"  
  
Beth flushed, "Since we've been here, the first time I saw hold Judith."  
  
"Not very sudden then.", Carol slowly nodded her head, "Not like it was with Glenn and Maggie."  
  
"No.", Beth shook her head, biting her bottom lip, "It wasn't."  
  
"I love Daryl.", Carol began, "Probably always will, but it's not the kind of love a woman feels for a man, if that's what you're really asking me. He's done a lot for me over the last year, especially when Sophia was missing, risking his life to find her. Even now, I don't know where I would have ended up if not for him."  
  
She gave Beth a considering look, "It means a lot that you thought to ask, Beth, but if I were you, I'd might want to talk to Daryl."  
  
"Yeah.", Beth nodded her head, just as Judith let out a loud cry, "I should check on her, she might need changing."  
  
"I'll finish up.", Carol said, as Beth hurried out the door, "Did you hear that?"  
  
She looked up at Daryl, who was standing on the walkway above them. When he nodded his head, she smiled at him, "Don't you think that maybe it's time for you to go see a man about a girl.  
  
Watching him leave, she smiled, her working having been done.  
  
 _ **Part 2: Of Asking Him of Her (Hershel and Daryl)**_  
  
He was nervous, as he paced back and forth in front of Hershel's cell, waiting for him finish reading his bible. He couldn't remember the last time he was this nervous, knowing that he can't run off like a scared little boy, because Dixon's don't run. He had something to do, and he was going to do it, even if it didn't turn out how he might have wanted it to.  
  
"What's on your mind, son?", Hershel closed his bible, setting it to the side as he looked at him, waiting for Daryl to take notice.  
  
"Shit.", Daryl muttered, not realizing he had been caught. Bracing his hands on the side of cell door, he looked at him, "I need to ask you somethin'."  
  
"Okay.", Hershel had to admit, he was more than a little curious as to what possibly had Daryl looking like he rather face down a room full of walker than stand in his doorway.  
  
"Just get it over with.", Daryl said, more to himself than to Hershel. After a minute, he cleared his throat and looked at the older man, "I would like your permission to court Beth."  
  
Of anything that could have come out of Daryl's mouth, that was quite possibly the last thing he ever expected to hear, especially coming from him. He studied him for a moment, the way he was standing there, anxious and slightly tense, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else but there. His fingers were almost white with the force he was holding onto the doorjamb, his breathing a little faster than normal. His eyes hard, as he stared at him, almost like he was waiting for him to yell at him for even having the thought to come to him about courting Beth.  
  
Hershel cleared his throat, breaking Daryl out of his stare, "Is that why you look like you rather be facing some walkers right now? Instead of a poor, old man like me?  
  
"What?", Daryl asked, "You don't know what you're talkin' about."  
  
"Maybe not.", Hershel said, as he sat back on his bed, his back against the wall for support, "Suppose I tell you that not five minutes ago, I was just praying that God would see fit to send someone for Beth, just as He had done with bringing Glenn to Maggie. Someone to make her happy, who will love her as she deserves to be loved."  
  
Not getting an answer from Daryl, he slowly nodded his head, "You'll have to ask her, but I don't see why you couldn't court Beth, if that's really what you want."  
  
"Yeah.", Daryl looked at him with surprise in his eyes, "What?"  
  
"What are you so worried about, son? That I would say no? I couldn't ask for anyone better when it comes to Beth. You're one of the best men I know.", Hershel explains, "A little rough around the edges, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially in the world we're living in. You can keep her safe, make sure she's protected when I can't. You'll make her happy, that much I'm sure, and you love her, don't you?"  
  
Daryl nodded his head, "Yeah."  
  
"That's all a man wants for his children. Someone to love them, to make them happy.", Hershel sighed, "You have my blessing, Daryl."  
  
Daryl could only nod his head before leaving Hershel alone in his cell, where the older man thanked God for answered prayers.  
  
 _ **Part 3: Of Asking Us of Each Other (Beth and Daryl)**_  
  
With an every growing knot in his belly, Daryl found Beth standing outside, her face turned up to the sky. Rubbing a hand over his face, he wondered about how this should go. He had Hershel's blessing and Carol had pretty much gave Beth hers, but who had to be the one to make the first move? It was now that he almost felt happy that Merle wasn't there, because he'd be giving him all sorts of shit about being afraid to talk to a pretty girl. She was pretty, he thought, maybe too pretty for someone like him, making a little noise as he approached so he wouldn't scare her.  
  
Hearing him, she looked at him, "Hey."  
  
"Hey.", he looked around, making sure they were alone, "What you doin' out here?"  
  
"Thinking.", she replied, "What about you?"  
  
"Same.", he watched as she grinned, "You shouldn't be out here by yourself."  
  
She looked around before looking at him, "I'm not alone, and you're here now."  
  
"Still.", he moved to stand in front of her, not sure how to begin, before finally taking the bull by the horns so to speak, and saying what was on his mind, "I heard you talking to Carol about me, earlier, when y'all were cleaning up."  
  
Beth felt her face flush, "Oh, god.", she closed her eyes, "I’m sorry, I didn't, oh, god."  
  
"I talked to your dad, or maybe he had talked to me.", he continued on, stopping her from saying anything else, "About you."  
  
"What about me?", she asked, almost afraid to ask, even though she thought she had a pretty good idea about what, though, she wasn't going to say anything quite yet.  
  
"Going to make me say it, aren't you?", Daryl scratched the back of his neck, "He gave me his blessing to court you, but said I should ask you. Thought that maybe we'd spend some time together, go on from there."  
  
"If you want.", he finished, tucking his hand into the pockets of his jeans. Merle would have been rolling in the yard at his expense, his laughter bringing every walker in hearing distance.  
  
She looked at him with those wide, pretty eyes, her lips curving into a bright smile, as she nodded her head, "I want, very much."  
  
"Good.", he muttered as he stepped into her personal space and took her face in his hands. He stared at her for a moment, wondering how in the world someone like her would want someone like him, before lowering his mouth down to hers. Beth made a small sound, one of her hands coming up to his chest, her fingers curling into his shirt as he licked his way into her mouth. His hands came up to rest on her hips, gathering her close to him, just as the sound of the door opening spooked them apart.  
  
Daryl nudged Beth against the brick wall, so they were both hidden by the shadows. Together, they watched as the door opened, Carol and Tyreese stumbling outside. Carol was laughing softly as Tyreese tugged her toward the tower, where he was to be keeping watch that night. Daryl chuckled, "Looks like someone has the right idea."  
  
"Not yet.", he whispered, shaking his head having heard her soft gasp, "But eventually."  
  
"Eventually.", she breathed into his mouth as he kissed her again, long and deep. Eventually, she thought as she wrapped her arms around him, would be just fine.  
  
  



End file.
